In order to permit the elderly and disabled to move about, it has been common to provide wall bars or hand rails. Such bars are fastened to the wall and must be sufficiently strong to withstand the weight that is applied thereto.
In one common type of wall bar, the bar includes a length of tubular material and mounting flanges such as stampings are mechanically connected or welded to the bar for attachment to the wall. Cover plates are usually mounted on the bar prior to fastening the stampings. Where necessary, it is also common to utilize intermediate supports along the length of the bar. Such a construction is not only costly but involves the use of substantially more materials.
Among the objectives of the present invention are to provide a wall bar that is less expensive, utilizes less tubing to span a given area, is of such construction that the cover plates can be applied after the bar has been formed with flanges; and which utilizes an intermediate support that permits the bar to be mounted and have greater strength in situations such as where the bar is applied to wall portions forming an angle to one another.
In accordance with the invention, the wall bar comprises a length of tubular material having ends extending at an angle to the adjacent portions. The ends have integral flattened portions lying in a plane intersected by the inclined portions and defining an obtuse angle with the axis of the inclined portions. The flattened portions are adapted to engage a wall and be attached thereto. A cover plate is provided for each end and has an elongated opening such that the cover plate may be telescoped over the flattened portion to mount the plate on the bar after the flattened portion has been formed and the plate can be placed in position over the flattened portion after the flattened portion has been attached to a wall.